The Day After Yesterday

It's that time of year again, folks. Another milestone come and gone.

For a lot of people their birthday can be a pretty depressing time. Whether it's that you're officially a year older, and another year closer to death, or just reflecting over your time on this earth, and realizing you haven't really accomplished what you thought you would.

While I definitely use my birthday as a time for reflection, I rarely get bummed out on the actual day. I tend to celebrate that I've made it another year. I embrace the phone calls and emails from family and friends new and old, hoping that today, more than any other day, is a great one for me. All the attention and well wishes makes me feel loved, appreciated, valued. It's an inexplicably warm feeling.

But then I wake up, every October 26th, and realize it's all over. The day after your birthday, no matter what age you are, is by far the worst day of the year. For one day, you're the center of attention, the thought of someone's mind, even an item on someone's to do list. The next day, not only are you not the topic of discussion, but you're the farthest away from that day than you'll ever be. It's just you, a couple of cards you've already read a half a dozen times, maybe a deflating balloon or two, and some stale cake.

Happy Frickin' Birthday!